Car door fastening



Aug. 31, 1937. v D,P. HYNEs CAR DOOR FASTENING Filed Aug. 15, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet l e/S i Aug. 3l, 1937. D. P. HYNEs l GAR Doon FASTENING Filed Aug. 15, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 31, 1937. l D. P. HYNES 2,091,816

.CAR Doon FASTENING Filed Aug. 15, 1935 a sheets-sheet s T72 276722607 z'ell 1D, @new Patented Aug. 31, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE' CAR DOOR FASTENING Dibrell P. Hynes, Chicago, Ill.,

cago Forging & Manufacturing Co.,

assigner to Ghi- Chicago,

Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application August 15, 1935, Serial No. 36,257

8 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in closures and has for one purpose the provision of closure means whereby a door may be moved into closed position prior to the actuation of the locking means intended to hold it in closed position.

One application of my invention is to rear closures for automobiles, but it will be understood that a wide variety may be made of the the provision of means of doors buffers. Another object for moving a door into closed position prior to the movement of the closing latch along an` axis or in a plane generally parallel with the. plane of the door itself. Other objects will appear from time to time in the course of the specification and claims.

I illustrate my invention more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings,

wherein- Figure 1 is broken away,

a side elevation of a car, with parts showing the door in open position;

Figure 2 is a plan View of the car with the door in closed position;

Figure 3 is a top plan View with parts broken away, illustrating the locking parts in locked position;

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a section ure 4;

on the line 5-5' of Fig- Fgure 6 is an edge View of the door;

Figure 7 is a section along the lines 1-1 of Figures 3 and 6, with parts in locked position;

Figure 8 is a section of the structure shown in Figure '7, illustrating the parts in locked position, section being made along the line 8-8;

Figure 9 is a section on ures 2 and 3;

the line 9-9 of Fig- Figure l0 is a detail of the actuating means operated by the exterior handle;

Figures 1l, 12 and 13 are trations of the diagrammatic illusmovement of the door and locking means to closed or locking position;

Like parts are indicated by like symbols throughout the specification and drawings.

Referring to the drawings,

an automobile, and 2 the rear cates the body of l generally indicar door hinged as at 3 by any suitable offset supports 4. the door closure. means, preferably yielding 5 indicates rubber padding around Such padding or packing or elastic, may be applied to the door frame orl tothe door orto both as shown, for example,

in` Figure 9. Referring to Figure 9, the door is shown asbeing bounded by a frame which includes an inwardly turned-flange 6, a ange 1, and a lip 8, the yielding packing or padding 5 being tted into the space bounded by the members 6, l and 8. Any suitable additional reinforcement maybe ernployed shown in Figure 9 as an angle 9,' bolted in position as by the bolt I0 and adapted to' serve as abutment means for the door positioning locking means below described.

The door, generally indi-cated as 2 in Figure l, includes` preferably a single outer panel or surface member 20. The upper portion of the door, the body of the door proper may be formed in any suitable way, but I illustrate an inner door portion 2l provided with the flange 22 and a lip or angle 23 abutting against the inner face of the panel 20 at a point somewhat short of the lower edge of the door. The parts may be spot welded or otherwise secured together.. In order to provide a convenient positioning locking unit for the door which is readily applicable to the door before or during. the passage of the automobile down the assembly line in the course of its manufacture, I employ a species a panel or housing generally indicated at 25 which includes a flange 26 opposed to the flange 22, as shown in Figure 7, an inclined portion 21, and an additional portion 28` generally parallel with the door panel 20, a flange 29 extending from the portion 28 toward the door panel, a flange 30 adapted to abut against the rear face of the door panel and extending, as at 3|, to the lower edge of the panel. The member 28 is apertured as at 32 in line with the locking structure below described. A bracket is positioned within the panel so formed. It includes a portion 33 generally parallel with the member 28, a connection 34 extending to the member 21 and a flange 35 abutting against the upper portion of the member 29,1 and extending preferably upwardly toward or against the rear face of the door panel 20. A guide plate structure is mounted upon the member 33. It includes, for example, a lock bolt guide having a side 36l and a top 3l, an extension 38 therefrom, and a side wall; 39, the side walls 58 indicates a manual exterior handle shaft having a handle of any suitable shape secured thereto. 52 is an enlargement on the handle overlying the flanged aperture 53 of the door panel 28. A shaft portion of reduced diameter is indicated as at 54, passing through and in bearing relationship with the flanges 53 if desired. A further reduced portion 55 is in bearing relationship with flanges 56, 51, formed in the members 33 and 38' respectively. The lower end of the reduced shaft portion 55 is screwthreaded as at 58 and is cut away or flattened on opposite sides as at 59. Secured to it and held by the flattened portions against rotation is the actuating disc 60 which is held in position as by the washer 6| and the nut 62. As shown in Figure the disc 60 has an aperture 63 with flattened sides 64 conforming to the cut away portions 59 of the screwthreaded shaft portion 58. 65 indicates an actuating slot having opposite actuating ends 66 and 61. Extending from the disc is a pin 68 which has mounted upon it a connector member or stirrup 69. It will be understood that rotation of the handle portion 5| rotates the disc 60 and therefore rotates the pin 68 and the stirrup or connector 69.

1D indicates a rock shaft formed at its opposite ends with latching or door positioning members or loops 1I. It is mounted in bearings there being a pair of bearings 12 on opposite sides of each of the loops 1| and other bearings 13 formed in the bracket member or plate 33. An intermediate oif-set 14, of the rock shaft 10, passes between the pin 66 and the stirrup 69 whereby,

l' in response to rotation of the handle 5|, the rock shaft is rotated to move the members or finger loops 1| into and out of door closing position. The lingers 1| protrude through apertures 16 in the plate 28.

In addition to the door closing rock shaft 10 with its lngers 1|, I provide a locking bolt generally indicated as 80 which is slidably mounted in the pocket formed by the members 36, 31 and the opposed portion of the member 33. It is provided with a pin or projection 8| adapted to ride in the slot 65 of the disc 66. When the pin 8| is intermediate the ends of the slot 65 the rotation of the disc 63 has no effect on it. But when it is engaged by the end 66 or 61 respectively, the bolt 80 is moved up or down, into or out of locking position, depending upon which end of the slot it is contacted by. It will be understood, of course, that the member 33 is apertured as at 82 to permit a sliding movement of the pin 8| with the lbolt 88. I may employ yielding means for urging the bolt 80 into or out of closing position. In the disclosure of Figures 3 and 7, for example, a spring 83 is illustrated secured at one end as at 84 to the plate 38 and penetrating at its other end a rece-ss 85 in the bolt 80. The spring thus tends to thrust the bolt 80 into locking position. It will be understood, and it is thought not to call for additional illustration, that the relationship of the spring and the bolt may be reversed so that the bolt can be urged into unlocking position. There are advantages to either arrangement. I form the bolt 8|] with a bevelled surface 86 on the side opposed to the locking abutment when the door is moved into closed position. I bevel it also, slightly, as at 81, on the opposite side of the bolt as will be clear from Figure 7. I provide as a locking abutment for the bolt an angle member having one flange 88 parallel with and secured to the door frame and the other 89 perpendicular thereto. If the door is dropped or slammed into position the incline of the portion 86 may be effective to cause the bolt 88 to move against the spring 83, to permit the bolt to slip over the abutting flange 89 and then move yieldingly into locking position, in response to the spring thrust. On the other hand, if the door does not take the user can positively move the bolt 86 into locking position by rotation of the handle 5| which, by an engagement of the pin 6| with an end of the slot 65, will positively thrust the locking member into position. However, it cannot be thrust into position until the point or horn of the latch, the meeting of the surfaces 86 and 81, passes over and clears the member 89. The ends 66 and 61 are separated by an arc sufficient to allow free movement of the bolt except during a limited part of the movement, when one or the other of the actuating ends is effective to retract the bolt, or to drive it into fully locked position. That is to say vthat throughout the major range of the movement of the member 69, the slot 55 is performing no function. When the part 9|) is in the position in which it is shown in Figure 5 or Figure 8, the actuating end 66 is eiective to engage the pin 8| and to thrust the bolt 86, and to hold it, positively in. locked position. Similarly, it is not until the member 68 has been rotated throughout a very substantial arc that the opposite actuating end 61 of the slot 65 engages the pin 6| and is then eiective positively 'to withdraw the latch 8f3 to unlocked position. During all intermediate positions of the member the slot has no effect on the movement of the bolt.

It will be observed from the diagrammatic showings of Figures 11, 12 and 13, that there is a lead of the linger 1| which is such that they are effective to draw the door downwardly or inwardly towards closing position before the same rotation of the handle 5| moves the bolt 88 into locking position. In the preferred employment of the device the user rotates the handle 5| in the proper direction to cause the finger 1| to move against the opposed abutments, as shown in Figure 9, whereby the door is drawn downwardly into closed position. In the device as shown in Figure 9 the eifect of the rotation of the handle 5| is to compress the opposed sponge rubber abutments 5 until the door reaches locking position. At that time the bolt 8@ wiil have passed over and cleared the abutment 89 and a continued rotation ofthe handle 5| will positively thrust the bolt home, if the parts are so fitted that the spring 83 is not able to do so. Thus there is a positive locking cycle in which a single rotation of the handle 5| rst draws the door into closed position and then either permits the spring to thrust the latch 8|! home or positively to thrust it home in response to an engagement between the pin 8| and an end of the slot 55. It will be understood, of course, that the member 89 may be of any desired formation. It is shown as a simple edged flange in Figure 7, whereas in Figure 11 the edge is somewhat broadened.

In the form herein shown a single unitary panel structure, including the portions 26, 21, 28 and 29 is applied to the lower edge of the door. The member 42 holds the disc 5@ in position in relation to all moving parts except the handle itself which is secured by the locking nut 62 and washer 6|. The aperture 32 permits the workman to thrust the handle shaft into the position in which it is shown in Figure 4 and then to apply the washer 6| and the nutv? and tighten up the nut, thus locking the handle in proper position. The panel as a whole may then be additionally secured to the door in any suitable fashion, as by spot welding as shown in Figure '7. Thus my entire assembly may be pre-manufactured and shipped as a unit to the automobile assembly line. The rock shaft 10 is, of course, secured to the panel and there is a minimum loss of time on the assembly line and a minimum of time and difliculty in applying the device.

It will be realized, however, that my invention need not be limited to a separate panel but may be applied directly to the door. Whereas as it is shown applied to an automobile it is also adaptable to other closures or mechanisms. I therefore wish my description and drawings to be taken as in a broad sense illustrative or diagrammatic, rather than as limiting me to the specific showing of my description and drawings.

I claim:

1. In a closing and locking means for a door, a single outs-ide handle mounted on said door, door latching means positioned within the door, and an actuating connection between said door latching means and said handle, said door latching means including a slidable bolt member adapted to be projected by said actuating connection, door positioning means, positioned within the door, and abutments opposed thereto, and an actuating connection between said door positioning means and said handle adapted, in response to rotation of said handle, to move said door toward closed position, prior to actuation of said slidable bolt member.

2. In a closing and locking means for a door, a single outside handle mounted on said door, door latching means positioned Within the door, an actuating connection between said door latching means and said handle, said door latching means including a slidable bolt member `adapted to be projected by said actuating connection, door positioning means, positioned within the door, abutments opposed thereto, and an actuating connection between said door positioning means and said handle adapted, in response to rotation of said handle, to move said door toward closed position, prior to actuation of said slidable bolt member, and yielding means tending normally to thrust said slidable bolt member into locking position.

3. The structure of claim 1 characterized by the employment of a rotary member connected for unitary rotation with the exterior handle, said member having an arcuate slot concentric with the axis of rotation of said member, and 'a pin on the bolt, penetrating said slot.

4. The structure of claim 1 characterized by the employment of a rotary member connected for unitary rotation with the exterior handle, said member having an arcuate slot concentric with the axis of rotation of said member, and a pin on the bolt, penetrating said slot, the length of said slot being suflicient to permit an. actuating engagement between an end of said. slot and said pin on the bolt, in response to a locking movement of the handle, after the doorI positioning means have moved the door into closed position.

5. In closing and locking means for a door, a rock shaft rotatably positioned on said door, levers associated with said rock shaft and adapted, in response to rotation of said shaft, to draw said door toward the closed position, and additional locking means, and means for actuating it,

- adapted to lock said door in position after it has been moved a predetermined distance toward the closing position in response to rotation of said rock shaft, and unitary handle means adapted, in response to a predetermined movement of said handle, first to rotate said shaft and thereb-y draw the door towards closed position, and thereafter, after a predetermined closing movement of the door, to close said locking means, said locking means including a bolt slidably positioned upon said door.

6. In closing and locking means for a door, a rock shaft rotatably positioned on said door, levers associated with said rock shaft and adapted, in response to rotation of said shaft, to draw said door toward the closed position, and additional locking means, including a bolt slidably mounted upon said door for movement transversely of the axis of rotation of said rock shaft and adapted to be projected in response to rotatio-n of said rock shaft, and unitary means for rotating said rock shaft and for moving said bolt, including a handle mounted upon said door, a lever member, associated with said handle, mounted within said door, a rotating connection between said lever member and said rock shaft, adapted to impart rotation to said rock shaft, and an additional connection between said lever member and said bolt, adapted to impart a sliding movement to said bolt in response to rotation of said handle, after a predetermined closing movement of the door.

'7. In closing and locking means for a door, a rock shaft rotatably positioned on said door, levers associated with said rock shaft and adapted, in response to rotation of sai-d shaft, to draw said door toward the closed position, and additional locking means, and means for actuating it in response to rotation of said rock shaft, adapted to lock said door in position only after it has been moved a predetermined distance to- Ward the closing position in response to rotation of said rock shaft, an-d yielding means tending normally to urge said additional locking means into a predetermined position.

8. In closing and locking means for a door, a rock shaft rotatably positioned on said door, levers associated with said rock shaft and adapted in response to rotation of said shaft, to draw said door towar-d the closed position, and additional locking means, and means for actuating it in response to rotation of said rock shaft, adapted to lock said door in position only after it has been moved a predetermined distance toward the closing position in response to rotation of said rock shaft, and yielding means tending normally to urge said additional locking means into a locking position.

DIBRELL P. HYNES. 

